The Cutting Edge

Recent decades have seen unprecedented growth in the scale and intensity of industrial forestry. Directly and indirectly, it has degraded the wildlife and ecological integrity of these tropical forests, prompting a need to evaluate the impact of current forest management practices and reconsider how best to preserve the integrity of the biosphere.

Synthesizing the body of knowledge of leading scientists and professionals in tropical forest ecology and management, this book's thirty chapters examine in detail the interplay between timber harvesting and wildlife, from hunted and protected habitats to invertebrates and large mammal species.

Collectively, the contributors suggest that better management is pivotal to the maintenance of the tropics' valuable biodiversity, arguing that we must realize that tropical forests harbor the majority (perhaps 70 to 80 percent) of the world's animal species. Further, they suggest modifications to existing practices that can ensure a better future for our valuable resources.

Conservation of biodiversity is not only a scientific issue but also one of economics. This book bridges the gaps and differing objectives very well, and gives a balanced treatment of a complex and volatile global issues. Biodiversity

Will do much to encourage a more informed thoughtfulness by those who are in a position to interact with decision makers who guide and manage logging company practices...Well done! Northeastern Naturalist

Logging and Wildlife in the Tropics: Impacts and Options for Conservation, by Robert A. Fimbel, Alejandro Grajal, and John G. Robinson, with input from all coRain Forest Logging and Wildlife Use in Bolivia: Management and Conservation in Transition, by Damián I. Rumiz and Fernando AguilarThe Economics of Sustainable Forest Management and Wildlife Conservation in Tropical Forests, by Neil ByronCan Forestry Carbon-Offset Projects Play a Significant Role in Conserving Forest Wildlife and Their Habitats?, by Elizabeth LososTropical Forest Management Certification and Wildlife Conservation, by Richard Z. DonovanCommunity-Based Timber Production: A Viable Strategy for Promoting Wildlife Conservation?, by Nick Salafsky, Max Henderson, and Mark LeightonLogging and Wildlife Research in Australasia: Implications for Tropical Forest Management, by William F. LauranceProtecting Habitat Elements and Natural Areas in the Managed Forest Matrix, by Bruce G. Marcot, R. E. Gullison, and James R. BarborakAn Evolutionary Perspective on Natural Disturbance and Logging: Implications for Forest Management and Habitat Restoration, by Colin A. Chapman and Robert A. FimbelReducing the Impacts of Tropical Forestry on Wildlife, by Douglas J. Mason and Francis E. PutzWhere Should Natural Forest Management Be Promoted to Conserve Wildlife?, by Peter C. Frumhoff and Elizabeth C. LososPrograms to Assess the Impacts of Timber Harvesting on Tropical Forest Wildlife and Their Habitat, by Robert A. Fimbel, Elizabeth L. Bennett, and Claire KremenNatural Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation: Field Study Design and Integration at the Operational Level, by Andrew Grieser JohnsDefaunation Not Deforestation: Commercial Logging and Market Hunting in Northern Congo, by David S. Wilkie, J. G. Sidle, G. C. Boundzanga, P. Auzel, and S. BlakeThe Interrelationships of Commercial Logging Hunting and Wildlife in Sarawak: Recommendations for Forest Management, by Elizabeth L. Bennett and Melvin T. GumalLogging and Hunting in Community Forests and Corporate Concessions: Two Contrasting Case Studies in Bolivia, by Damián I. Rumiz, Daniel Guinart S., Luciano Solar R., and José C. Herrera F.The Effects of Logging on Tropical River Ecosystems, by Catherine M. Pringle and Jonathan P. BensteadSoil Fauna in Managed Forests: Lessons from the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, by Gerardo R. Camilo and Xiaoming ZouThe Impacts of Selective Logging on Tropical Forest Invertebrates, by Jaboury Ghazoul and Jane HillThe Effects of Logging on Reptiles and Amphibians of Tropical Forests, by Laurie J. Vitt and Janalee P. CaldwellBird Communities in Logged and Unlogged African Forests: Lessons from Uganda and Beyond, by Andrew Plumptre, Christine Dranzoa, and Isaiah OwiunjiThe Effects of Logging on Birds in Tropical Forests of Indo-Australia, by Mohamed Zakaria Bin Hussin and Charles M. FrancisTropical Forestry and the Conservation of Neotropical Birds, by Douglas J. Mason and Jean-Marc ThiollayThe Consequences of Timber Exploitation for Bat Communities in Tropical America, by Pascual J. Soriano and José Ochoa G.The Effects of Logging on Nonvolant Small Mammal Communities in Neotropical Rain Forests, by José Ochoa G. and Pascual J. SorianoThe Effects of Logging on Tropical Forest Ungulates, by Glyn Davies, Matt Heydon, Nigel Leader-Williams, John MacKinnon, and Helen NewinChanges in Primate Communities Following Logging Disturbance, by Andrew J. Plumptre and Andrew Grieser JohnsLogging ,Seed Dispersal by Vertebrates, and Natural Regeneration of Tropical Timber Trees, by Patrick A. Jansen and Pieter A. ZuidemaTropical Forest Management and Wildlife: Silvicultural Effects on Forest Structure, Fruit Production, and Locomotion of Arboreal Mammals, by Francis E. Putz, Laura K. Sirot, and Michelle A. PinardLogging-Wildlife Issues in the Tropics: An Overview, by Robert A. Fimbel, Alejandro Grajal, and John G. RobinsonI. An Introduction to Forestry Wildlife Interactions in Tropical ForestsII. Wildlife and Chainsaws: Direct Impact of Logging on WildlifeIII. Hunting: A Major Indirect Impact of Logging on Game SpeciesIV. Research to Integrate Natural Forest Management and Wildlife ConservationV. Forest Management Programs to Conserve Wildlife in Production Forest LandscapesVI. Incentives for Integrating Natural Forest Management and Wildlife ConservationVII. Synopsis

About the Author

Robert A. Fimbel is chief scientist for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

John G. Robinson is senior vice president for international programs at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Alejandro Grajal is director of the Latin American and Caribbean program at the Audubon Society.